Loose-leaf binder.



A. E. HARLING & G. B. DOBBIN. v

LOOSE LEAF BINDER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 27, 1911.

1,01 6,496. Patented Feb. 6, 1912.

2 SHEBTSSHEET l.

IVITNESSES: m

ATTORNEY.

COLUMBIA FLANOGRAPII cu., \\ASII|NGTON. u. :4

A. E. HARLING & G. B. 1101mm. LOOSE LEAF BINDER. A PPLIGATI ON FILED JUNE 27, 1911. I 1,01 ,49 Patented Feb. 6, 1912.

2 SEEBTSSHEET 2.

I'VITNESSES: [lg EN OKs i i/ Ma a; 7 W 5% ATTORNEY.

COLUMBIA PLANODRAPH c0.,WAsHlNGTON, n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED E. HAIR/LING AND GEORGE B. DOBBIN, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

LOOSE-LEAF BINDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 6, 1912.

Application filed June 27, 1911. Serial No. 635,648.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ALFRED E. HARLING, and GEORGE B. DOBBIN, citizens of the United States, residing at Detroit, county of Wayne, State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements 1n Loose-Leaf Binders, and declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptlon of the same, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to loose-leaf binders and an object thereof is a simple and ineX- pensive device for tightly binding loose sheets in compact form for use as loose-leaf ledgers, hand books and the like.

Another object of the invention is in providing a device for the purpose that is adjustable and therefore adaptable for use with a large or a small number of sheets and that is so compact in form as to occupy but small space and thus allow the covers to close flat Without the necessity of forming recesses or pockets therein for holding or receiving the binding mechanism.

A further object of the invention is a binder that maybe readily and quickly adjusted for holding various numbers of sheets and so arranged that any number of sheets may be easily inserted or removed without displacing the remainder.

These and other objects and novelties of the invention are hereafter more fully described and claimed.

In the drawingsFigure 1 is a perspective view of a structure embodying the features of our invention; one of the covers being open showing the accessibility of the binding levers. The parts are shown in the closed or binding position. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the device showing the parts in the open position for the insertion or removal of sheets. Fig. 3 is a central, longitudinal section of the device showing the arrangement of the thong or binding cord. The drawing is enlarged to clearly show the relation of the various parts. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the binder showing the binding levers in the closed position; the open position thereof being indicated by dotted lines. Fig. 5 shows an alternative form of the device adaptable for use with sheets of short lengths.

Similar characters refer to similar parts throughout the drawings and specification.

The preferred form of the device is shown' in Fig. 1 and consists of the covers 1 and 2 hingedly seoured to the binding plates 3 and 4 respectively. The plates are provided with like apertures 5, 5 through which a binding cord or thong 6 passes the free ends of which being secured to the binding levers 7, 7 and by opening or closing the levers, as indicated in Fig. 4, the thong is loosened or tightened. The covers 1 and 2 are secured to their respective binding plates by a flexible hinge connection 8 and the binding levers 7 7 are pivotally attached to the plate 3 between the apertures 5, 5 and at a point to one side of an imaginary straight line passing through the centers of the two apertures. The plate 3 has a central lug or lip 9, preferably stamped from the body of the plate, and, in the closed position, the inner free ends 11 of the levers 7 engage beneath the projecting end of the lug 9 and are held fromaccidental displacement by the thong 6, which, in this position of the parts, passes to the rear of the pivots 10 and is stretched tightly thus holding the levers against the lug and drawing the plates 3 and 4 together binding the sheets therebetween.

In the open position of the levers, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 4, the thong 6 is loosened and sheets may be inserted or removed as the plates 3 and 4 no longer bindingly engage them. When the thong is loosened the plate 3 may he brought to a position at right angles with its binding position, as shown in Fig. 2, and thus serve as a gage or stop against which the rear edge of inserted sheets may be placed and all the sheets stacked evenly. For use with this binder the sheets have perforations 12, 12 through which the thong passes as shown more particularly in Fig. 3 and also have slots 13, 13 extending from the perforation to the back edge of the sheet to allow the sheet to be placed in position with the thong passing through the perforation. As shown in Fig. 2, the slots are preferably formed at an oblique an le with the rear edge of the sheet making it necessary to draw the sheet upward and outward to remove it from the binder. While the device is operatable withoutsuch angular arrangement of the slots. it has been found desirable to so arrange them in order that, if the book, in the condition of the parts shown in Fig. 2, be held with the upper end thereof higher than the lower end, the sheets cannot slip out of place either downwardly or outwardly. The thong 6 is adjustably attached to each lever 7 by being laced through the openings 14 provided therein and to arrange the device to accommodate various numbers of sheets the thong is drawn through the openings to a greater or less extent depending upon the quantity of sheets to be bound. If a small number are to be bound, evidently the thong from one lever around through the openings in the binding plates to the other lever must be less in length than if a large number are 'to be bound'and vice versa.

when the levers are in the closed position.

As shown more clearly in Fig. 8, each lever 7 at the pivot point is spaced from the plate 3 by a washer 15 slightly less in thickness than the thong and the end 11 of the lever is bent slightly downward a distance corresponding to the thickness of the washer and,

. when in the closed position, engages beneath the laterally projecting end of the lug 9 thus binding the thong between the lever and the plate as above described. The levers are made of thin metal so as to occupy but small space vertically and thus allow the cover to close fiat. plates are provided with eyelets 16 which present a smooth surface against which the thong draws in opening or closing the le vers' 7 and therefore eliminates wear to a large extent. The eyelets in plate 3 extend above the surface of the plate with the upper surface thereof practically level with the upper surface of the levers and the thong may'thus readily pass over the surface of the levers without catching or wearing from repeated opening and closing. 7

An alternative form of the device is shown in Fig. 5 in which but one lever 7 is used to which an-end of the thong is attached, the opposite end being knotted to prevent its withdrawal through the aperture in the plate. This form of the device is adaptable for use with sheets of such short lengths thatit is impossible to use the two levers in the manner heretofore specified. The parts are otherwise identical in form and function. It is to be noted that the extent to which it is possible to loosen the thong by the opening of the levers depends largely upon the distance between the pivot point of the lever and the adjacent aperture in the plate and with the use of two levers this distance may be less than if only one lever The apertures in both be used as with two levers the thong is loosened from each way.

From the foregoing description it is evident that the device differs from those devices which hold the sheets on rings and the like, as, in this case, while the sheets may be said to be held by the thong passing through the perforations in the sheets in a somewhat similar manner to the rings, the sheets are additionally held by being tightly bound in place by drawing the two plates 3 and 4 together with the thong in the manner shown. With devices of the ring type the sheet-s are held loosely and by the rings only and therefore tear out from repeated handling. By hinging both covers to their respective binding plates, the sheets may lie flat upon either cover and therefore either side of a sheet may be utilized with equal facility. The cover 2 and binding plate 4: may be formedintegrally, however, without departing from the spirit of this invention.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. The combination with covers, each cover having a plate hingedly secured there to provided with apertures, of a thong passing through said apertures, a lever pivotally secured to one of the plates, one end of the thong being connected to the lever and the opposite end being prevented from withdrawal through its respective aperture, and a stop on said plate against which the free end of the lever engages when in I the closed position.

2. The combination with covers, each cover having a binding strip hingedly secured thereto provided with apertures, of a thong passing through said apertures, levers pivotally secured to one of the strips, the ends of the thong being adjustably connected to the levers, and a stop on said strip limiting the closing movement of the levers.

3. The combination with covers, each ofsaid covers having an apertured plate flexibly secured thereto, of a thong passing through said apertures, a pair of levers pivot-ally secured to one of the plates, the thong being secured to the levers and the levers pivoted forward of a line passing through the centers of the apertures, and a stop on the plate having a laterally projecting portionbeneath which the free ends of the levers engage when in the closed position.

4. The combination with covers, each of said covers having an apertured plate flexibly secured thereto, of a thong or binding cord passing through said apertures, a pair of levers pivotally secured to one of the plates an end of the thong being adjustably secured to each lever and both levers being pivoted to one side of a line passing through the centers of the apertures, and a stop on the plate limiting the closing movement of the levers.

5. A device of the character described comprising a pair of binding plates provided with apertures, a cover hingedly secured to each plate, a pair of levers pivotally secured to one of the plates between the apertures therein and to one side of a line passing through the centers of said apertures, a binding cord passing through the apertures in both plates an end of which is adjustably secured to each lever, and a stop limiting the closing movement of the levers.

6. A device of the character described comprising a pair of apertured binding plates, a cover flexibly secured to each plate, a pair of binding levers pivotally secured to one of the plates, each lever having a plurality of openings therein, a thong passing through the apertures in both plates, the end portions thereof being interlaced through the openings in the levers whereby the length of the thong between the levers may be adjusted, and a stop limiting the closing movement of the levers.

7. In a device of the character described, a pair of apertured binding strips, a pair of levers hingedly secured to one of the strips, a thong laced through the apertures in the strips, an end portion of which is adjustably secured to each lever, and a stop for limiting the closing movement of the levers.

8. In a device of the character described, a pair of apertured binding members, a cover hingedly secured to one of said mem-, bers, a pair of levers pivoted to the said member, a thong laced through the apertures in said members an end portion of which being adjustably secured to each lever, and a stop limiting the closing movement of the levers.

In testimony whereof, we sign this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

ALFRED E. HARLING. GEORGE B. DOBBIN.

Witnesses:

WALTER GREENBURG, CHAs. E. WIS'NER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

